1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system which is provided with a camera and a microphone and transmits/receives image data and voice (sound) data of the users to/from another information processing system through a transmission line.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known information processing systems for transmitting and receiving image data and voice data via a communication line using, as terminals, information processing systems provided with a camera and a microphone, such as communication using videophones or computers.
With these information processing systems, not only voice can be transmitted, but the conversing parties can also talk while looking at each other's face expression, and further images such as characters or photographs can also be transmitted, and it is therefore possible to transmit and receive a larger volume of data than with voice only, and thus detailed and profound conversations can be held.
With these information processing systems, image data of both of the communicating parties are transmitted, regardless of the intention of the conversing parties. Thus, before the parties involved in the communication communicate with each other, it is often necessary to perform operations which are not necessary for the transmission, such as arranging one's appearance and tidying the surroundings.
Simplicity of transmission is therefore lost. Further, there is a deficiency in terms of maintaining the privacy of the receiving party since, in comparison with the calling party who has, in advance, been intending to have a conversation, the receiving party may not have made sufficient preparation for the conversation.
In other words, with conventional data communication involving voice and images, the appearance of the users is transmitted directly as image data to the other party, and therefore if it is necessary to communicate when the receiving party of the communication does not wish to do so, the receiving party is subjected to psychological anguish.
If the receiving party is compelled, having just woken up, to communicate using an information processing system provided with a camera and a microphone, that is, if, clothes, hair or make-up, the surroundings and the like are in disarray, such that the receiving party would be impolite to the other party to appear, or if the receiving party were extremely tired and the expression was likely to become gloomy, the receiving party would be forced to refuse to send to the other party the image data of the receiving party, which had been taken by the camera, and thus to refuse to transmit image data.
Thus to protect the minimal privacy of the receiving party of the communication, transmission of image data is stopped and communication of only voice data is performed. Therefore the services using information communication of image and voice are not effectively utilized.
Further, if there is a sudden need for the calling party to transmit information, then even the receiving party may decide to refrain from effecting communication that is accompanied by the transmission of images, unless the receiving party has arranged so as not to appear impolite to the other party, and tidied the surroundings, and thus in the end there is a likelihood that the matter will be dealt with using a normal voice-only telephone or a facsimile.